Out of Time
by Aurora Nightstar
Summary: "I will get rid of the bat once and for all. Consider it an act of mercy, which is more than you deserve," Superman told Batman before traveling back in time from a post-apocalyptic world. Superman believed this would fix everything. Will it work or will he just replace one apocalypse with another? Largely based on the movies Man of Steel and Batman Vs Superman.
1. Knightmares

**Several Months after BVS – ending in the Knightmares version**

As far as the eye could see, this area was covered with crumpled and burned buildings. The grounds were overly dry and devoid of most plant life. No doubt about it, this was a post-apocalyptic world. Bruce Wayne and several of his fellow resistance members were strung up and being held till their god Superman returned. The skies above remained dismal and cloud covered.

Bruce felt the earth shake as Superman landed nearby. He watched, feeling fully disgusted that so many of his fellow men betrayed the human race by following this alien. His followers all kneeled down as Superman walked by. Yellow beams of energy shot from Superman's eyes. He incinerated two of Bruce's comrades in a matter of seconds. He could hear their screams. The stench of their burned flesh overwhelmed Bruce's senses leaving him sick to his stomach. The worst part is he knew he was next. He would become a pile of ash just like the two comrades next to him.

With one harsh thrusting motion, Superman ripped of the mask that obscured most of Bruce's face. "She was my world, and you took her from me," Superman said.

Bruce just narrowed his eyes and glared at the alien. He knew there was nothing he could do. That damn reporter got in his way just before he would have killed him once and for all, which allowed Superman to escape. He knew there was no escape for him now. He wasn't afraid to die. His only regret was that he was unable to get rid of Superman.

"We found what you were looking for sir," one of Superman's guards interrupted just before he was about to incinerate Bruce.

"You found the cosmic treadmill?" Superman questioned. As his glare fell upon the bat, he realized killing him would only bring a temporary and fleeting feeling of satisfaction. Using the cosmic treadmill, on the other hand, stood a chance of bringing back the people he loved most. Deep down, he blamed Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne for everything. Lex Luthor was already dead. Superman smirked at the irony of the specifics of exactly how and why he died. Now, he just had Bruce Wayne to deal with.

Superman's guards unveiled the cosmic treadmill which had been packaged up on the back of a flatbed truck. Superman contemplated incinerating Bruce. He taunted him instead. He pointed out the pile of ash that was once a human being. "It is your own fault. If you just listened to me when I asked, none of this ever would have happened." Both men exchanged glares. If looks could kill, neither would have walked away alive from this one. "Now I have the chance to undo it all."

"Nnnno," Bruce began to holler. Then he realized someone was untying him from the back, so he went silent. He watched Superman run on the treadmill. It seemed he just wasn't fast enough to make the magic of time travel work. Bruce smirked at Superman. "You are fast, but not fast enough."

As he glared at Bruce, Superman realized someone was untying him. He fired his heat vision at them. The Flash finished untying Bruce and pulled them both down right out of the path of the deadly heat beams. The Flash seemed to conjure up a sand storm as he literally ran circles around Superman. Superman used his cool breath to blow the sand away. He just found he needed to do it in all directions. As the winds began to shift, the golden light of the sun managed to peak through the clouds and cast light on Superman's head. He paused while the Flash picked up Bruce and made his getaway.

Superman contemplated following them, but decided against it. Instead he flew up. He knew the sun had the power to heal him and even improve his abilities. He blew past the earth's atmosphere and moved closer to the sun. As he got closer, his speed improved. Then a solar flare washed all around him. He could feel a burst of power that was unlike anything he had ever felt before. He turned around and headed back toward earth.

The Flash stopped as they quickly got a significant distance away from the site. "We have to go back," Bruce insisted.

"Are you nuts? We don't have any kryptonite and he will kill us." Flash tried to talk some common sense into him.

"He has the cosmic treadmill," Bruce explained to him. The Flash's jaw dropped. Even though that was revealed right in front of him, he didn't notice because he was too busy working on freeing Bruce. He knew what the cosmic treadmill could do, so for the Flash, this needed no explanation. He picked up Bruce again and raced back to the site they just left.

Superman spotted them as they returned. He flew straight for the Flash. The Flash tried to dodge again, but to his surprise, this time Superman was actually faster. He grabbed his arm. The Flash tried to slip his grip with a few maneuvers he learned from Bruce, but he couldn't move Superman's hand at all. Superman put his other hand around his neck and began to squeeze. The Flash gasped for air. Then Superman fired another blast of heat vision. His heat vision was more intense than usual, but as he used this, he could feel a slight dip in his power. The Flash fell making a loud thud against the ground.

"Damn you!" Bruce glared at him.

Superman contemplated killing Bruce too, but he didn't want to experience anymore power loss. If he had to leave again, they might destroy that machine. "I will get rid of the bat once and for all. Consider it an act of mercy, which is more than you deserve." He turned his back on Bruce and raced toward the cosmic treadmill.

"You will never get that thing to work and you just killed the only person who could. This one was your fault." Bruce smirked at Superman.

"We will see about that," Superman snapped back at him. He sighed and briefly closed his eyes and hoped Bruce was wrong.

Superman began to run on the cosmic treadmill much faster than before. Bruce jumped on him and tried to make him stop, but without kryptonite, he was very ineffective. Lights began to spiral out of control. The treadmill wobbled showing scenes from both the past and the future. Both men only saw scenes from their own pasts. It was almost like seeing your entire life flashing before you in a kaleidoscope. For Bruce this meant images of the criminals he pursued, the women he seduced and all the parties he attended. Superman saw his fight with Zod, the love he shared with Lois and all the people he rescued over the years.

Superman forcibly flung Bruce off of him and sent him right through one of the spokes in the wheel. His leg hurt from the landing, but he didn't scream. He was used to channeling everything including pain to more useful measures. Bruce cursed Superman as it was obvious to him that Superman was still continuing to spiral toward an unknown destination. He wasn't sure when or where Superman was going. Bruce decided he needed to figure out what he did and reverse it fast. Right now Bruce felt an overwhelming desire for revenge. He just wanted to kill Superman.

* * *

 **Gotham City – July 4, 1985**

He quickly realized where he was. Of all the places. This wasn't mercy. This was just cruel. This was the same street corner where he witnessed his parents get gunned down, but judging by the movie poster adds, it definitely wasn't the same year. He noticed posters for Back to the Future and Teen Wolf. Bruce's knowledge of popular movies was lacking. He wasn't quite sure what year it actually was.

He quickly realized he was over dressed for this 90 plus degree weather. He took off his top as the sun beams poured down on him relentlessly. Even the music blaring from cars passing taunted him. 'I'm walking on sunshine, and don't it feel good?' It certainly didn't. Bruce found the sun's blades searing. Although he knew he was in for a far worse fate back in his own time if Superman had his way. Screw that! He was going to visit his past self and Alfred to get some much needed help. He wanted to make Alfred see Superman for the threat he was and get a hold of some kryptonite if it was the last thing he ever did. Superman had to go, but first thing's first. He didn't have any cash or credit cards that would be good in this time, so he made his way back to Wayne manor on foot. It was a long and hot walk, but he ignored his aching feet and continued onward. Being thrown and being dehydrated didn't help things either.

As he walked up the driveway, he realized it was in much better condition than he remembered it. Of course it was. He was used to seeing it after years of neglect. His mother's prize roses still seemed to bloom despite the fact that she hasn't been here in years. Alfred must have maintained them, something at the time, he didn't even notice. He knew his home well and had no trouble breaking in. He actually managed to climb in through an open window. He didn't pay much attention to things in the house. He rushed to the kitchen and got himself some ice water. He couldn't believe how thirsty he really was. He drank fast and immediately got a second glass.

He tried to remember the exact year he moved into his parent's old room. He knew he was slow to have this room cleared out. He hoped he could 'borrow' more weather appropriate attire. He took advantage of the bathroom and took a nice shower. He even used some deodorant and aftershave. After several months of a nomadic existence, being freshly showered and dressed in clean clothes felt good.

Once he finished getting dressed, he heard girls' laughter in the hallway. He thought the house was empty, but now he realized it wasn't. Luckily, he was fully clothed, so he edged his way toward the door extra quietly. Even though it was his house, it was the wrong year. He easily could be arrested for breaking and entering.

"Well, if he keeps it up, he is so getting lucky tonight," one of the girls said. The other girl laughed. He heard a rustling sound. Bruce wasn't quite sure what it was. "Do you think he will like this?"

"Definitely," the other girl responded. Curiosity got the better of Bruce. He stepped out into the hallway to see two teenage girls, a blond and a brunette. Bruce crossed his arms. He wondered if Alfred had taken him out this day back in 1985 because he had some unauthorized guests in the house. If so, Alfred should have just asked. Bruce was sure his past self definitely would have approved it. Heck, he probably would have bent over backwards trying to impress the two hotties. Both girls were very beautiful.

The brunette was the far more exotic of the two. She looked part oriental and part something else Bruce couldn't quite place. She wore a red t-shirt over her swim suit and a pair of slightly worn blue jean shorts.

The blond looked like a classic all American beauty. She was far more blatant with her sexuality then her friend. She didn't bother covering up her royal blue bikini top. She also wore a white mini skirt that really showed off her legs.

The Burnette laughed, then suddenly stopped as she realized someone was standing there. "Ah, hello." She forced a cheesy grin. The blond quickly shoved the chemise back in her Victoria Secret bag. Yet again, he heard that rustling sound. Apparently plenty of tissue paper lined the bag. Then she looked at Bruce and gave a nervous laugh.

One thing occurred to Bruce. Maybe Superman did something that made this not even his house anymore? So he quickly came up with a cover story he hoped these girls would buy. "Have either of you seen Alfred Pennyworth? I am just beginning to think I have the wrong address. The door was open, so I just…"

"I am trying to remember what Bruce said." The blond paused for a few moments followed by a warm smile. "I think he took Tiffany to the parade."

Bruce bit his tongue instead of asking who the hell Tiffany is. Alfred must have had a girlfriend he didn't know about. He thought it better not to ask. "Oh, he must have forgot I was coming. Are you his niece?" To the best of Bruce's knowledge, Alfred didn't even have a niece, but hoped his reasonable, but wrong guess, would result in the girl volunteering an answer.

"No. My name is Jaclyn," the blond shook his hand. She made strong eye contact. Her jaw dropped slightly and she paused. "Do I know you? There is just something really familiar…"

"I doubt it." Bruce shook his head, with a bit of a grimace. He got a name, but that still didn't explain what she was doing in his house. Jaclyn continued to stare looking in his eyes. The brunette nudged her in the ribs which successfully snapped her out of her trance. "I doubt I have any chance of finding him at the parade. Do either of you know where Alfred might go after that?"

"No," the brunette answered first.

"Yes, he will be going to the cook out at my Uncle's house," Jaclyn answered. "You can come too."

"Are you nuts," The brunette frowned at Jaclyn.

"Shush, there will be plenty of food," Jaclyn briefly glared at her friend.

"Yeah, sure that is the problem with this," the brunette said sarcastically.

She didn't have to say it. Bruce knew what she meant. She was shocked her friend would trust a total stranger so fast. "I don't want to intrude." Bruce put his hands up.

"You are not. Any friend of Alfred's is welcome," Jaclyn insisted with a warm smile.

* * *

 **June 25, 1981 - Smallville**

Superman continued toward his destination. He left a special message for his past self. Young Clark Kent listened carefully to the message. He wasn't sure if what he saw was a hallucination, an illusion or a dream. Superman was so sure that what he did would change everything and result in a much better future for everyone. He couldn't wait to return to his own time and finally propose to Lois Lane. There was little doubt on his mind that she would be alive and she would definitely say yes.

When he finally returned to his own time, he found himself floating in space with literally nothing around him. All he saw was faint lights in the distance. He could move in any direction, but so far this was to no avail. The one thing he knew for sure was something went seriously wrong. He believed this to be what Krypton called the phantom zone.


	2. Cook Out

Because of his current situation, Bruce was cut off from all of his usual resources. He knew he needed help and Alfred was the one person most likely to actually believe his story and help him against Superman. Determined to find him, Bruce tagged along with the girls to the cook out. Where Jaclyn was pretty sure he would be attending, it only made sense for him to go too.

"You must not see anybody or talk to anyone. Anything you do could have serious repercussions on future events. Do you understand?" another teenage boy said as Bruce walked in with the two teenage girls.

Bruce wondered if that statement was directed at him. He believed this kid might know of his predicament. "Oh, I understand. How did you know?" Bruce forced a fake smile.

"Don't pay any attention to Pete, here." The brunette turned to Bruce and waved off the boy.

"What year are you from?" Pete laughed.

"2017," Bruce responded.

Pete laughed even harder. "Ok, future bo…. Man! Who is president of the United States in 2017?"

"Donald Trump!" Bruce answered honestly.

"Donald Trump? Of Trump towers?" the boy laughed. Jaclyn and the brunette laughed too.

"Did you interact with anybody else today, besides me?" Pete asked Bruce.

"Just these two girls," Bruce pointed to the brunette and Jaclyn.

"Great Scott," Pete put his hand up to the sides of his cheeks. He was laughing so hard his sides began to hurt. "Did you like the movie?"

"Ah, movie?" Bruce questioned. He actually had not seen too many movies since that terrible night his parents were shot after seeing Zorro. Then he realized Pete was probably just quoting things from a movie. He laughed and hoped this could be passed off as a joke. Yet there just might be some wisdom in anything he did could have real consequences for the future, so he knew he had to be careful.

"Yeah, movie! Back to the Future. Saw it last night and again this morning. Totally rocked!" Pete put two thumbs up.

"No spoilers! I haven't seen it yet. I will be seeing it tonight!" Jaclyn said.

"That is not the only thing you will be seeing tonight," the brunette said coyly. Both girls laughed. Even Bruce got a chuckle out of that one as he knew exactly what that meant.

"What else is she going to be seeing tonight," Pete asked.

"Umm…. Fireworks…" the brunette gave a forced smile usually associated with lying.

"Let me introduce you to my Uncle." Jaclyn grabbed Bruce's arm and walked him over to the grill. The brunette followed. They probably held these types of parties often as the grill was a very large and expensive one.

"Hi Uncle Lawrence, this is a…" Jaclyn gestured to the man behind the grille. She gave a playful laugh.

"Please call me Larry." Larry stepped out from behind the grill and shook his hand.

"You know he hates being called Lawrence," the brunette reminded Jaclyn.

"Name's Bruce…. Bruce, ah, Kyle!" Bruce thought it best to lie about his last name as they would all be expecting a much younger Bruce Wayne.

"He is a friend of Alfred's," Jaclyn informed her Uncle.

"Oh! How do you like your burgers? Or would you prefer a hotdog?" Larry asked. Bruce was a bit taking back by the immediate acceptance and innocents of these people.

"What did I tell you? Any friend of Alfred's is welcome," Jaclyn said as parting words just before she and the brunette both headed straight for the pool.

Bruce decided not to follow the girls anymore. Instead he did his best to say focused, yet somehow his feelings were getting the better of him. Everywhere people were simply having fun wither it be splashing around in the pool, dancing to music, pigging out on burgers, hotdogs and other cookout food, bouncing on the trampoline or playing volley ball. The entire scene brought back memories of a happier time. The fourth of July before his parents passed away, they through a very similar cook out. He wondered how Alfred could have gotten away with going to this and not even inviting his past self. That thought for another time. The last thing he needed right now was misplaced anger. The real target was Superman.

Over the last few months, Bruce was no longer accustomed to five star restaurant cuisine. In fact, many days he barely managed to eat at all. The tables of freely available food just seemed to call to his rumbling stomach. Oddly of all the things available, his eyes stopped on the potato salad. It looked exactly like the type his mother used to make with bacon and sweet, spicy honey mustard. He definitely took a small sampling of that.

Bruce found a quiet table and chair near the pool. An oversized umbrella blocked out much of the sun. He noticed the two teenagers he came here with were now in the pool joined by two teenage boys. Jaclyn had her legs wrapped around her guy's waist and her arms wrapped around him. Their lips were locked in a sensual kiss. His hands not so innocently went down her back and on to her ass. The brunette and her guy were much more engaged in a chaste kiss both standing on their own feet and arms around each other in a sweet embrace.

Bruce glanced around the rest of the cook out hoping to get a glimpse of Alfred. Even though he was with so many other people, he felt so alone. Loneliness had always been a way of life for Bruce, but so long as he had Alfred's company, it never really bothered him that much. He was beginning to think this cookout was a mistake. Just as he was about to get up and walk out, a young girl tugged at the bottom of his shorts. "What?" Bruce tried to brush her hands away.

"Cookie." The young girl who couldn't have been more than three years old, held up a cookie of some kind and offered it to him. The girl was dressed in a red, white and blue dress. Her light brown hair was tied in pig tails with red and blue curly ribbons.

"No, thank you," Bruce waved her off. The young girl was persistent. She continued to try to pass the cookie off to him. Bruce was starting to get annoyed and just wanted this young girl to go away.

"Tiffany, sweetheart," Alfred spoke to the young girl. Bruce would recognize his voice anywhere. Oh, so that is the mysterious Tiffany! Bruce chuckled to himself with his previous thought of who Tiffany might be. He definitely wasn't expecting someone so young.

"Daddy!" Tiffany exclaimed as she raced over to Alfred, who promptly picked her up.

What? Bruce wondered if he actually heard that right. To the best of his knowledge, Alfred never did have any children. Him having a child this young? Did he and Dr. Leslie Thompkins actually have a kid together? He couldn't help wondering why Alfred would have hidden this from him. Or was it that he just paid so little attention, that he didn't know much about Alfred's personal life? He realized the bigger problem here. Clearly, his lack of knowledge just might make convincing Alfred of his true identity difficult.

"Run along and play." Alfred put Tiffany down and pointed in the direction of the pool.

"But he so sad." Tiffany pointed to Bruce as she batted her baby blues at Alfred.

Alfred took a closer look at Bruce. "Quite right, but I believe he doesn't want to be disturbed." Then he turned to Bruce. "Please accept my apologies if…"

"It is ok, Alfred," Bruce took a few steps toward them and he raised his voice slightly at the use of his name, which caused Alfred to pay attention. "I can't believe you didn't tell me you had a little girl. She is adorable." Tiffany smiled at Bruce.

Bruce took a few more steps toward Tiffany. He kneeled down to be at her height. "Did you enjoy the parade?" Tiffany nodded and her smile got wide and beautiful. Then Tiffany hugged Bruce. Bruce grimaced. The last time he hugged a child like this, they were amidst an alien warzone and he just saved a young girl from being crushed under heavy debris.

"Who are you?" Alfred asked.

"An old friend," Bruce answered.

"I don't recognize you," Alfred examined his face as he tried to remember him.

Another man went over to Alfred. "Can you do something about that?" He gestured toward the pool. "Every time I see that kid, he has his hands all over my daughter."

Bruce looked over toward the pool. The kid who was making out with the brunette suddenly stopped and looked over and stared right at them. The brunette's boyfriend was good looking with short, dark hair, and a muscular body. He wore royal blue swim shorts. Then he tapped the boy on the shoulder who was making out with Jaclyn and said something to him. He stopped and looked over at adult Bruce too. Bruce realized the teenage boy who was making out with Jaclyn was his past self. He couldn't help but notice the genuine smile on his past self's face, which lasted until he heard what the other boy said to him. Try as he might, Bruce still didn't remember even going to this party, but obviously he did.

"They are dating," Alfred responded.

"Yeah, don't remind me." The man rolled his eyes. "Can you do something about it or not?"

"I don't have that much sway over Master Bruce," Alfred responded a bit taken back.

Bruce grimaced at that and looked at Alfred. "I am sure you have more than you think," Bruce insisted.

"No more than I can change the direction of a river." Alfred forced a smile.

"Looks like I will have to take care of it myself then," Jaclyn's father walked off toward the pool. He called for Jaclyn to come inside, which she did, but not before kissing teenage Bruce one more time. The remaining three teenagers got out of the pool and made their way toward Alfred.

"Master Bruce," Alfred began to speak.

"Yeah," both teenage Bruce and adult Bruce answered at the same time.

"Please tone it down a bit with Jaclyn," Alfred requested. "Her father doesn't like it!"

"I will… Try." Teenage Bruce nodded.

"And what would your father think of it," Alfred asked.

"Doesn't matter. He isn't here!" Teenage Bruce answered with a shrug and palms raised up to toward the sky.

Of course he isn't here, adult Bruce grimaced at that. If he had to be stuck in the past, why couldn't it have been a few years earlier, back when his parents were alive and well? Then at least he would have gotten to see them one more time. Another thing, since when did his past-self become so apathetic about his father not being here?

"Come on, let's go play on the trampoline." The brunette held her hand out toward Tiffany.

Tiffany smiled. She put the cookie down on adult Bruce's plate. "Be happy. Life is good," she said before taking the brunette's hand. They left together.

"Jaclyn said you were a friend of Alfred's. How do you two know each other?" the other teenage boy poised that question to both Alfred and adult Bruce.

"I don't know him," Alfred answered honestly.

"We went to high school together. It was such a long time ago. He doesn't remember me," Adult Bruce lied. "I look a little different now." Bruce looked Alfred in the eye. He remembered Alfred telling him that he took to the art of deception like Mozart to the harpsichord, but he had never been too hot at lying to him. Bruce was nearly certain Alfred wasn't buying it.

"A little different! When I get to be your age, I hope I still look as good!" teenage Bruce smiled. To adult Bruce's surprise, it seemed his past self actually believed him. He wasn't so sure about the other teenage boy.

"You will," adult Bruce smirked. He took that first bite of the potato salad. It definitely tasted exactly like his mother's. "Who made this potato salad? It is fantastic!" Bruce hoped he was wrong, that something Superman did accidently prevented his parent's death. Could it be his mom's roses weren't maintained by Alfred and this potato salad was actually made by his mother?

"Jaclyn made it. She used my mother's recipe!" Teenage Bruce smiled with pride.

"She nailed it!" Adult Bruce said. Teenage Bruce and the other teenager exchanged a quizzical look. Bruce realized he just used an expression that wasn't yet in popular use. "It is just an expression… Where I come from. It means she got it right."

"That's my girl!" Teen Bruce nodded with a smile.

"Let's go join them on the trampoline," the other teenage boy suggested to teenage Bruce.

"Why not? But no showing off. Ok?" teenage Bruce warned.

"Don't worry," the teenage boy said.


	3. The Whole Picture

**Phantom Zone – date and time unknown**

Superman had been flying around for what felt like an eternity. Of course, nothing in this vast, empty wasteland of space gave him any way of telling time. He drifted aimlessly with nothing but his own thoughts. He contemplated what he could have done differently until a familiar and unwelcome voice interrupted him.

"Remember me?" a voice echoed from around him, which broke Superman's train of thought.

"Zod!" Superman glared at the unwelcomed visitor who floated towards him.

"I will show you what you should have done differently," Zod declared.

Superman rolled his eyes at Zod and huffed in annoyance. None of this felt real to him, but if he had to find someone out here, why couldn't it have been Lois Lane, Martha Kent Jonathan Kent, or Jimmy Olsen. Even Kat Grant or Steve Lombard, as annoying as they were, would be an improvement. Anyone but Zod. Like Zod would know anything about how to deal with his problems. All he knew how to do was destroy stuff. Superman doubted he had anything to learn from Zod.

Suddenly a brilliant light overwhelmed Superman's field of vision. He looked behind him. His own shadow created a disruption on what was otherwise the symbol of the bat reflecting against the emptiness of space.

"Here I am!" Batman called out.

"Damn it," Superman cursed. He spun around and yet again faced the Bat. He was so sure he got rid of him for good.

Zod ignored Batman. Instead, he focused his assault upon the building Batman was standing on. He raced to the lower levels and in a matter of seconds torn out the entire foundation, which caused the entire building to fall in on itself. Even though much debris fell on Zod, he still easily forced his way out unscathed.

In a desperate attempt to escape the unstable building, Batman launched his grappling hook hoping it would allow him a safe way out. Of course, Zod had no intention of allowing that to happen. The ropes of the grappling hook suddenly burst into flames after being struck with Zod's heat vision.

"Nooooo," Batman screamed as he fell. Cutting off Batman's escape wasn't good enough for Zod. He set the entire building on fire as it fell. If the fall didn't kill Batman, surely the flames would.

After Batman had killed Lois, Superman couldn't care less about the fate of the Bat. "You don't know how many innocent people were in that building," Superman scolded Zod.

"The more the better," Zod retorted.

"There had to have been a better way." Superman shook his head.

"For once, Kal, I agree with you. Why go after the Bat at all? Even if you did exactly what Lex demanded, are you seriously naive enough to think Luthor would have kept his word?" Zod questioned.

Superman's mouth moved on the cusp of words trying to escape, but he just paused as he realized full well that Zod actually had a point. He knew his initial intent was to seek Batman's help. Hind sight is always twenty-twenty, so now he knew what a mistake that was. Of course, unfortunately for him, Batman was more psychotic then he originally thought. He underestimated him. He wondered if maybe Zod had the right idea on how to deal with the Bat after all.

"Maybe it is Lex you should have handled differently," Zod suggested.

Lost in thought, Superman didn't listen. He ignored the spectacle that unfolded right before his eyes. Still drenched in flames, the building sprung back up and transformed as if by magic into a dark and burnt version of the Lex Corps towers. Sparkling embers flew everywhere, then the fire stopped all at once.

Zod turned his head and looked down. "Where is she?" Zod called out.

Superman wasn't sure who he was talking to until he directed his own eyes to where Zod was looking. "I swear I don't know. I wouldn't let them tell me." Lex begged with a hint of fear in his voice.

Zod sped towards Lex at near light speed. His hand formed a fist and pounded down on Lex's foot. Superman winced as he heard the crackling of bones and Lex's foot was nearly flat after the impact. Traces of blood seeped out the sides. Zod threw a cell phone at Lex. "Then you better get on the phone with someone who does or you will have a matching set!" Zod made a fist and hovered it over Lex's other foot.

"You are a monster, Zod," Superman called out. "If I had done that, Lex would have already won." Superman realized full well he easily could have pulled that off. Lex knew it too. The fear in his voice was obvious, but if he had, then Lex would have already gotten what he really wanted. He wanted to prove to the world that Superman was evil. Why else would he frame him for a crime, not once but twice? Rip the head off the bat, for the cameras. Lex said so himself. That action wouldn't have helped anyone.

"Except Martha Kent!" Zod spoke again finishing Superman's thoughts. He might actually have a point Superman couldn't help but to admit. There is a good chance Lex would have caved in to his demands if he used this type of force.

"Or maybe you should have solved the problem before it even started," Zod suggested. Superman gave a quizzical look. He still heard Lex's screams of pain after having his foot flattened. Lights flashed everywhere. The screams overlaid with laughter. The blood and gore of the previous scene gave way to the glitz and glamour of all the self-important people of Metropolis and Gotham City. There he was the one and only Bruce Wayne arguing with Clark Kent about Superman.

Not so fondly, Superman recognized this scene. Truly, he thought Lois should have attended this stupid gala instead of him. She did much better at things like this, but some unknown bigshot insisted he be the one sent instead.

Zod laughed. "You don't find it the least bit suspicious that he knew exactly who you are even though you two never met before?"

"What are you talking about?" Superman asked.

Lex joined Bruce and Clark at the gala. "Bruce Wayne meets Clark Kent. I love it! I love bringing people together." Superman's jaw dropped. Zod actually had a point. He might have noticed if he wasn't so pissed off by what Mr. Wayne had said to him, and he wouldn't have shook his hand quite so hard either..

"What a coincidence! I love burning people down." Zod used his heat vision and incinerated both Lex and Bruce to nothing but ashes. "Oh and about the hand thing, I would have ripped his hand right off!"

"No," Superman looked on horrified. He knew this was wrong. He wished he could have done more to show these two men that he wasn't the threat they thought he was.

"Oh, is that what you were doing when you let Doomsday destroy Lex," Zod asked. This line made Superman painfully aware that Zod was nothing more than a figment of his imagination. This was just like the time he imagined his earthly father Jonathan Kent up in the mountains. That couldn't have been real either. Mind reading was never one of Zod's powers. "Take a closer look, shall we?"

To Superman's horror, Zod began to grow and bone matter began to protrude through his skin. The color of his skin seemed to fade to a gross gray. Superman took a few moments to realize just what was happening. He was turning into that horrible beast Lex created. Lex reformed from the pile of ash that Zod made only seconds ago. The rest of the party guests screamed and ran away.

Then Superman heard an all too familiar speech. "An ancient Kryptonian deformity; blood of my blood, born to destroy you!... Your Doomsday," Lex said.

Lex's eyes opened wide as he realized his creation wasn't going after Superman. He went after Lex instead.

Superman remembered this scene all too well. This was right after so much loss. Lois got in the way of Batman's attack against him and the bastard killed her. He failed to bring Lex Batman's head, so Lex ordered Martha burned alive.

"Help me," Lex cried out as the creature's claw tore through his flesh.

"You say that you want to help people," Batman's voice echoed in the background. "Help him."

"He got what he deserved! My only wish is that you could share his fate!" Superman crossed his arms. He looked around trying to find Batman, but everything just went dark again.

"Congratulations! You finally shook that crippling morality!" Zod's voice came from the monster Doomsday. Superman realized he had to get out of here soon or he would lose what was left of his sanity.

* * *

 **July 4, 1985 – cook out**

Alfred pondered what the man who claimed to know him had said. Something just didn't add up. If he was an old school chum who he hadn't seen in years, why would he have expected him to tell him anything about Tiffany?

Bruce contemplated what to tell Alfred. Tell him the truth? At best, Alfred with think he was nuts. At worst, he would find himself locked up in Arkham. That wouldn't be that big of a deal. The Joker escaped that place so many times, he lost count, he was certain he could do the same. He was Batman after all.

"I know I can trust you. Someone very dangerous is after Bruce. I am here to protect him." Bruce kept his voice down to barely above a whisper. He thought it best to leave out the details of him having traveled through time and that the threat was a super powered being from another planet. Ironically, just to have any credibility at all, Bruce felt he had to lie.

Bruce looked over at his past self who was happily bouncing on the trampoline with that other teenage boy and the beautiful brunette he came to this cookout with. As he said that, the other teenage boy suddenly looked over at Bruce and Alfred. The teenage boy furrowed his brow and his jaw dropped slightly. Bruce could tell he looked worried. It was almost like he heard him, but he was so far away and he was so quiet, that couldn't be possible. Could it?

After returning to the party, Jaclyn made her way over to Bruce and Alfred. "I see you found Alfred. I've been a terrible hostess."

"I wouldn't say that. Your potato salad was fantastic," Bruce smiled at her. Nice, her father laid a guilt trip on her, Bruce assumed.

"Thanks!" Jaclyn smiled. "No, I really have. See, as soon as my boyfriend shows up, I tend to forget the rest of the world even exists."

"How did you meet Bruce anyway?" Bruce asked Jaclyn. If she was a girl he was dating, he was curious.

"Last new year's eve. My Uncle and I had dinner reservations at King Stefan's Banquet Hall. Do you remember?" Jaclyn asked.

"No!" Bruce was shocked by the question and he wondered if she knew who he really was. He never even heard of King Stefan's Banquet Hall, let alone been there.

"Of course you don't, you weren't there. Alfred?" Jaclyn asked.

"Of course, I do." Alfred nodded.

"Yeah, you were there with Tiffany and Bruce. I couldn't help but notice Tiffany. She was so cute in her Cinderella costume. I had to take her picture. I asked permission, of course." Jaclyn chuckled. "Do you remember what he said to me?"

"Only if I get to take your picture too." Alfred quickly offered up his exact words. Bruce could tell by the scowl on Alfred's face that he didn't think much of this.

"I didn't know why he wanted my picture, but I agreed to it," Jaclyn added.

"And I gave Bruce a good tap on the back of the head!" Alfred added. Bruce rolled his eyes and chuckled at the same time.

"Bruce and I spent the rest of the evening together. We went on rides and watched the fireworks… And then he kissed me." Jaclyn smiled and clasped her hands together. "All these years looking over the Metropolis bay, who knew? The guy of my dreams was just on the other side. I don't care what dad says, I am getting back to Bruce." She made her way over to the trampoline and rejoined her friends.

"What!" Bruce failed to hide his shock. He couldn't remember any of that.

"Whatever threat is after Master Bruce, it isn't her," Alfred politely told Bruce as he misunderstood Bruce's reasoning for questioning her.

"I didn't think so." Alfred and Bruce agreed to meet up again later that evening.

* * *

 **Wayne Manor - July 4,1985 Late at night**

Much later that evening, adult Bruce met with Alfred back at the manor. Walking into the living room, Bruce saw the brunette and the teenage boy cuddled up on the couch together watching TV. Tiffany sat on a pillow near the coffee table. She was coloring in her Mickey Mouse coloring book.

"How did it go this morning?" the brunette asked.

"Great! I found exactly what I was looking for," the teenage boy answered. "It was exactly what her Uncle Larry said it was. I even found out who my real pare…" His words trailed off as he realized Bruce and Alfred were standing there.

"Glad it went well." Alfred nodded. "Try to get to bed at a decent hour. Especially you, Tiffany." Tiffany looked up at Alfred and smiled, then she went back to doing her coloring. She was pretty talented for a little kid.

"What was that about?" Bruce looked at Alfred with a quizzical look.

"Nothing," Alfred averted his eyes, then quickly changed the subject. "Where is Master Bruce?" Bruce recognized that behavior as it happened many times over the years when someone walked in on a conversation they should not have overheard concerning Batman. He just wasn't used to being on the other end of it, being the one left in the dark and he didn't like it.

"I am right…" Bruce stopped talking once he realized Alfred meant his past self.

The teenage boy looked up to the ceiling. "He is in his room," he informed Alfred.

"Yeah, he was really eager to go to bed," the brunette gave a small snicker. The teenage boy covered his mouth and tried really hard not to laugh.

"How about we talk in the study where it is a little more private?" Alfred suggested to Bruce.

"If you need me, just yell. I will be right there." The teenage boy and Alfred exchanged a glance and a slight nod.

Bruce knew exactly where the study was, so he intentionally pulled himself ahead of Alfred and led the way. "Who are those two kids?" Bruce asked just before opening the door to the study.

"That was Master Bruce's best friend and his best friend's girlfriend," Alfred answered.

That explanation gave Bruce far more questions than answers. Before today, he was pretty sure he never met them before. He was going to ask questions, but the words seemed to die in his throat when his eyes gazed upon a painting that dominated one of the walls of the study. This was an expertly done artist rendition of his father, his mother, his past self and Tiffany. If this had been a photograph and not a painting, Bruce would have taken this as solid proof his parents were still alive, either that or he was way off about Tiffany's age. He remembered his mother once commissioned a painting of her late grandmother long after she was deceased. She paid an artist to work from an old photograph. "What is this? Why is your daughter…?" Bruce pointed to the painting on the wall.

"You didn't come here to discuss art work. Tell me about this threat against Master Bruce," Alfred insisted.

"Fair enough," Bruce gritted his teeth and then gazed up at the painting again. "It is so unbelievable! I don't know where to start. I used to believe we are alone in the universe."

"I think I know where you are going with this. You have been talking to Lawrence," Alfred responded.

"Who? Jaclyn's Uncle? Doesn't he prefer to be called Larry?" Bruce grimaced. "What does he have to do with…"

"He works for NASA. He is also part of the SETI project." Alfred interrupted. "What did he tell you exactly?"

"Nothing! I barely talked to him." Bruce crossed his arms. He realized he definitely should have. He might have access to things he might need for tracking an alien or more importantly know where to find meteor rocks. He believed that glowing green rock was his best chance to protect his past self against Superman.

"Uh, oh!" Alfred gulped. "Ok then, maybe I don't know where you are going with this."

"Or maybe you do," Bruce took on a very accusing tone. Bruce couldn't help but to notice Alfred's gulp. Bruce was certain he was hiding something.

"What does this have to do with protecting Master Bruce?" Alfred ignored the accusation and just asked what he really wanted to know. "You talk about not being alone in the universe and a threat against Master Bruce. You are not seriously suggesting there is an alien after him are you? Sounds absurd, don't you think? So many more logical targets."

"Does that mean you believe aliens exist," Bruce gave Alfred a quizzical look. He found it odd that Alfred was questioning the choice of targets instead of questioning the existence of aliens.

"I know that…" Alfred paused and thought about what he wanted to say. "So far no proof has been found for the existence of aliens, no matter what Lawrence says."

* * *

A/N

A special thank you to my beta readers bearhow, csgt and Loki god of evil


	4. Echo of the Past

**July 5, 1985 – Wayne Manor**

Adult Bruce wandered into the living room to find Jaclyn and teen Bruce cuddled up on the sumptuous button backed Chesterfield sofa. Although he remembered this sofa well, it just seemed out of place. If his memory served him correctly, this sofa used to be in his father's den, not the living room. His mother had an extremely comfortable and pretty white sofa in this room that, thanks to the addition of blue throw pillows and a blue blanket matched the Chinese blue and white Porcelain vase table lamp she had on the side table next to the couch. That lamp wasn't here either. He wondered where it went. The television was on in the background, but nobody was really paying attention to it.

"Ohhh, I have such a head ache," teen Bruce said.

"I can get you some aspirin," Jaclyn offered.

"Oh, don't bother. Everything was great yesterday till I fell asleep. I had the worst nightmare last night." Teenage Bruce put his hand to his head.

"Your parents got shot!" Adult Bruce declared in a somber tone. He knew he was right. What else could it be? He had that nightmare countless times. He found an odd sort of comfort in the fact that something finally felt familiar.

"Yeah, how did you know?" teenage Bruce asked. He looked over at adult Bruce with a stunned look on his face.

"Lucky guess." Bruce nodded with a bit of a scowl. That comforting feeling gave way to sheer depression as harsh reality set in.

"Ok, good guess. But that wasn't all. Care to take another guess?" Teen Bruce challenged adult Bruce.

"Bats," Bruce gave a bit of a smirk. Yet again, he felt sure of his accuracy.

"Ah, no," Teenage Bruce turned his attentions back on Jaclyn. "You and C.K. made out right in front of me," teenage Bruce continued. Adult Bruce couldn't help to wonder who C.K. was. Could that be Bruce's best friend?

"What? I would never cheat on you," Jaclyn assured him as she held his hand in a comforting gesture.

"It wasn't cheating. More like you didn't even know who I was," Bruce explained. "Neither did C.K."

"Still, it would never happen. C.K. pretty much has the blinders on to any girl whose initials aren't LL," Jaclyn said.

"Oh, so not true. When I was dating Lucy Lane, he didn't look twice at her either," Bruce grinned. "He was the smart one."

"A past girlfriend?" Adult Bruce asked. He didn't remember ever dating a girl named Lucy Lane. He knew of a reporter named Lois Lane. She frequently wrote about Superman, but that was about all he knew about her.

"A past mistake more like it. She thought she would help herself to…" Teen Bruce started to say.

"I really don't want to hear about your past girlfriends," Jaclyn interrupted. She looked Bruce in the eye pleading with him to stop. "Was there anything else you remember about this dream?"

"Yeah, Tiffany screamed for help. I ran to her as fast as I could. She slowly turned transparent and ultimately disappeared completely. I searched everywhere for her, but nothing. She was gone. When I finally woke up, I felt even more tired than I did when I went to bed."

"That might be partly my fault!" Jaclyn admitted sheepishly. "Though I hope I didn't cause the nightmare."

"Nah, it wasn't you. It was that movie, Back to the Future," teenage Bruce admitted.

"But I was the one who really wanted to see that. I never thought it would give you nightmares," Jaclyn apologized.

"It wasn't so much that the movie was scary. It definitely wasn't. It just really got me thinking about how different my life would have been if I never..." Adult Bruce leaned in so he could really listen. This may well be that clue he was waiting for as to exactly why is life was so different from what he remembered. But then the doorbell rang. "Never mind. I better get that." Talk about terrible timing. Adult Bruce really wanted to hear what he had to say.

Teen Bruce returned with Pete. Adult Bruce definitely remembered Pete, if only from the cookout yesterday. He was the one he initially suspected knew of his situation, but then came to realize he was doing little more than quoting from a movie he recently watched. Pete's jaw dropped when he saw Jaclyn. "You actually slept over here? You little slut!" Teenage Bruce was about ready to belt him one. Jaclyn looked like she was going to say something, but Pete waved her off. "No, I get it. You are using him for money and he is using you for sex!"

Even though adult Bruce suspected this was true from the moment that he overheard Jaclyn telling her friend that as long as he kept it up, he was getting lucky. He didn't like hearing it. He couldn't quite put his finger on why it bothered him, but it did.

"No, no, no! You got it all wrong. I am using him for sex!" Jaclyn laughed this one off as a joke.

"What? You can use me all you want," teenage Bruce smiled seductively and kissed Jaclyn on the cheek. Pete's jaw dropped.

"You are kidding," adult Bruce said at the same time Pete said "You lucky bastard!"

"Yes, of course, I am kidding." Jaclyn nodded.

"Rats!" Teen Bruce faked a frown and snapped his fingers. He moved his arm in a U shape. Jaclyn giggled.

"I knew it! You are just here for the money." Pete smirked.

"That is so insulting and not true!" Jaclyn rolled her eyes.

"It's not true?" adult Bruce questioned.

"If you think his wealth is the only reason a girl would be interested in him, than you are way underestimating Bruce Wayne. Look at him. That handsome face, those striking eyes," Jaclyn looked at her boyfriend, then looked back at adult Bruce. She paused a few moments too long looking into his eyes. Adult Bruce wondered if she was catching on, but then she continued with her rant. "Great body, cute butt."

"You really are just using him for sex. Like I said, you lucky bastard!" Pete nudged teen Bruce's shoulder.

"Sure he is sexy, but then there is also his personality. He is smart, charming and funny." Jaclyn continued to flatter teen Bruce.

Adult Bruce could barely believe it. She was the only girl who ever described him as funny. He thought his sense of humor died with his parents. Pete's intent was clearly to insult Jaclyn, yet it also happened to insult his past self too and she defended him. He started to think his past self just might have called this one right. He decided he would look her up if he ever got back to his own time. "Jaclyn, what is your last name?" adult Bruce asked.

"Snow," Jaclyn answered.

"Is your middle name Rose?" Bruce grimaced. He had seen that name before in raised gold print listed with thousands of other names just below the statue of Superman at Heroes Park. Bruce had visited that spot at least a few times and thanks to having a photographic memory, he could read every name just from memory.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Jaclyn asked.

"Another lucky guess!" Bruce gritted his teeth. Damn it! Bruce thought to himself. This girl was most likely one of the many victims that died because of that alien invasion. She died because of him. Superman was to blame. "In 2015, make sure you get out of Metropolis…"

"What? Why?" Jaclyn and teen Bruce looked first to adult Bruce, then back to each other. They began to question adult Bruce's odd behavior, but Pete interrupted yet again.

"Oh," Pete looked at the television. "This is what I came over here about. Turn up the volume." Then he looked at Jaclyn. "Your Uncle was right!"

A shot of something in the sky dominated the screen. "You are not alone... My name is General Zod. I come from a world far from yours. I have journeyed across an ocean of stars to reach you. For some time, your world has sheltered one of my citizens. I request that you return this individual to my custody. For reasons unknown, he has chosen to keep his existence a secret from you. He will have made efforts to blend in. He will look like you, but he is not one of you. To those of you who may know of his current location: the fate of your planet rests in your hands. To Kal-El, I say this: surrender within 24 hours, or watch this world suffer the consequences."

Adult Bruce glared at the screen. Now he knew what Superman had done. That son of a bitch brought the alien invasion here early. His battle with Superman was one of the hardest things he ever had to do. Fighting just one of those aliens was hard. He wasn't so sure he could handle more than one. How many more of them were there?

"Screw him! I am not telling that General Zod anything!" Teenage Bruce scowled at the television.

"There is nothing to tell. Not like we actually know where this Kal-El is anyway," Jaclyn said out loud exactly what adult Bruce was thinking.

"Right…." Teenage Bruce deliberately avoided eye contact. "Excuse me." Bruce left and raced for the stairs. "C. K." he screamed as he raced up the stairs.

"Oh, so he does know who Kal-el is," Pete raised a brow at Jaclyn. "I wonder what else he is hiding from you."

* * *

a/n

I would like to thank my three beta readers bearhow, cgst, and Loki. Thanks for all your suggestions. I would like to thank everyone for their reviews, favorites and follows.

Zod's message came straight out of the movie Man of Steel obviously.

Pete is Pete Ross. Those who have read my stories know I draw much inspiration from shows like Smallville and Lois and Clark the new adventures of Superman. This version of Pete didn't come from that. In Man of Steel, Pete was clearly a jerk. He may have matured out of it when he was working in the IHOP, but this is much earlier, so he is still a jerk.


End file.
